Mr. Robot Review: 408 Request Timeout (Season 4 Episode 8)

Mr. Robot takes us prisoner once again thanks to this show’s captivating group of beautifully flawed characters.

It is the powerful character dynamics of Mr. Robot Season 4 Episode 8, “408 Request Timeout,” that makes us reluctant to break free from the clutches of this episode.

The circumstances may be bleak but these characters have never felt more alive as they fight for the endings they deserve. From the tragedy of Dom and Darlene’s love to the emotional journey of Elliot and Mr. Robot’s partnership, it’s nearly impossible not to find ourselves enthralled in everything that makes this ensemble special.

With a cast determined to slow down for no one and dialogue that has no problem keeping up, it’s hardly surprising Mr. Robot is obliterating our expectations with this final season.

I thoroughly enjoy watching characters find their way out of seemingly impossible situations and Mr. Robot is particularly great at crafting these types of situations.

Dom and Darlene are as good as trapped in the clutches of the Dark Army and the only way out would be if there was another move, another player we weren’t aware of on the board. And a good player at that, not some cheap cough out.

Thanks to Dom’s pluck and the subtle establishment of Deegan’s character earlier on, nothing about this Irish scapegoat feels cheap. In fact, I would give anything to go back and rewatch Dom take down an entire room of criminals with the knife lodged in her chest and Darlene watching on in awe.

Mr. Robot was betting on us to overlook Dom and given that she’s been a blubbering mess for most of the season, that’s a fair assumption to make. But now that we’ve been reminded of how kick-ass this woman is, I can only hope she makes a speedy recovering so we can keep betting on her to take Whiterose down for good. It’s not like Elliot can anyways.

Also, I know we are supposed to hate Janice and all but she’ll probably end up being the reason Domlene finally happens. Say what you will about this woman but she knows when to appreciate a good ship and I got to respect that. She has fed the fans well.

I will say the heightened stress of Dom and Darlene’s situation makes it incredibly difficult to focus on Elliot’s emotional escapades.

Malek could be out here giving his best performance of the decade and I would still find myself going through all the scenarios in which Dom and Darlene can kill Janice and escape. The quiet nature of Elliot’s grieving process is important but it is immediately overtaken by the loud heart-pounding nature of this episode’s secondary storyline.

Unfortunately, Darlene is just as important a character as her brother and in just as much a mess this time around. So her problems take precedence over Elliot’s for once — and at a time when they probably shouldn’t.

Part of me is glad both these storylines existed within the same episode because they are both separately and equally good. However, on-screen they don’t play well together and that’s a real shame.

That doesn’t mean the quieter tone of Elliot’s night isn’t effective in certain respects.

His moment with Krista outside the police station feels every bit like the momentous milestone it should be for the two characters.

Elliot has found himself at the lowest point in his life and thanks to Krista’s love and support, he is able to properly process the trauma he has endured. For once Elliot has a support system and a healthy way of dealing with a situation. 

All this proper self-care feels like a rejuvenating face mask for Mr. Robot’s soul. As horribly contrasting as these two storylines are, seeing Elliot find something that resembles the ending we want for him between all this the chaos is as beautiful as it is disconnected.

It’s clear Mr. Robot’s emotionally charged speech needs the awkward disconnect from the chaos of Dom and Darlene’s hostage situation in order to hit the right mark. And boy, does this dialogue-driven scene ever hit the mark.

During the last episode’s grand reveal, it was Malek who put his emotional range to good use. This time, it’s Slater who truly wows us with his ability to make this fictitious personality feel like a real person — the person Elliot needed all along.

Mr. Robot: I am not your father. I never was.
Elliot: I know you’re nothing like him. You’re the father I needed. Not the father I had.

We talk about “407 Proxy Authentication Required” being a series-defining episode, but I think this final moment between Elliot and Mr. Robot is a series-defining scene for these two pivotal characters.

The fact that Elliot had a monster for a father so he made up a better one is kind of screwed up.

Yet, we’ve had time to watch Mr. Robot grow into more than the ominous entity he first made himself out to be. He feels no less real than Krista or Darlene as he comforts Elliot now. And regardless of how real he actually is, I find no issue calling this imaginary man Elliot’s father.

That is all thanks to Slater’s winning chemistry with Malek and his character’s tremendous growth this season into the parental figure we all desperately need heading into the final stages of this season’s endgame. 

Welcome to the family, Mr. Robot.

Coming off the cusp of another momentous and incredibly ambitious episode, “408 Request Timeout” has every right to fail.

We’re emotionally exhausted. Elliot’s emotionally exhausted. Yet there is nothing exhausting about this latest installment. The odd pairings make for some rich character development and the dialogue is as strong as ever.

Just when it looks like the series may take this bleak and hopeless theme too far with Darlene and Dom, it reels itself back in with another nifty twist. Mr. Robot has yet to cross a line it can’t come back from and there’s something reassuring about that.

This episode just goes to show that with phenomenal acting and writing at a series’ disposal, viewers will be happy to embrace pretty much anything thrown our way.

What did you think of this episode of Mr. Robot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Mr. Robot airs Sundays at 10/9c on [network].

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Let It Snow Review: A Holiday Hit with Serious ‘Love Actually’ Vibes